Lauren O’Neil is an online Community Manager, video host and blogger, but she prefers the term ‘professional internetter.’ You’ll see her about town and online anywhere that can hold a hashtag. She works for social media agency Entrinsic, teaches an online journalism course at Centennial College, is a freelance writer, and runs her own blog, LaurenOutLoud.

What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?
The alarm on my iPhone goes off at 7:23 a.m. and I hit snooze 0-5 times depending on how late I was out Wednesday night and whether or not I need to wash (and subsequently dry, straighten and style) the blonde spaghetti on my head.
Breakfast is always the same. Oatmeal supreme and microw-eggs (scrambled eggs made with a microwave. More awesome than it sounds). I do breakfast right to make up for doing every other meal wrong.
Cat fed, Lauren fed, makeup, outfit and hurrs did, I leave home. If I need to cover a daytime event or go somewhere straight after work I’ll take my car, but most days I ride the subway because it’s faster and less expensive than parking downtown.
I always get off a stop early to hit Starbucks on my way to the office, despite working directly above a Second Cup and across from a Tim Horton’s. Brand loyalty right thurr.
Mornings are spent replying to emails, publishing blog posts and scouring the interwebz for fun things to share with our audiences on Twitter and Facebook. I make some status updates, respond to comments, hollah @ my Tweeps and do some other top secret Internetty thing. I might have a meeting or three and will almost always spaz out over some funny video that everybody in the office is watching.
I go for a long walk around the neighbourhood at lunch time because I’m restless like that. Sitting at a computer for long stretches of time makes me go batty. Then, I grab what my coworkers call “macrobiotic mush” from a vegan restaurant nearby – unless I brought lunch that day, in which case I eat my veggie-bologna sandwich at my desk whilst, once again, cruising the web for trouble.
After lunch, it’s all about editorial. I write, edit videos and process photos for our blog, Flickr and Youtube channels. This is my favourite thing to do.
I leave the office around 6 (if I’m lucky) and hit the gym, run on the elliptical trainer for 55 minutes and then stretch it out like “ahhhhh.”
Dinner comes from either the microwave or a Thai joint near my house. If I’m pressed for time, there’s always something good going down at Mr. Sub.
I freshen up to hit the town while watching the teevee in my bedroom, and then round 2 begins.
I might have to go interview a band, take photos at an art show, or just meet up with a friend for some drancing – no two Thursdays are ever the same. Last week, I made my stand-up debut at Comedy Bar!
No matter what time I get home, a solid hour or four will be spent in my red-walled home office blogging for my personal website. This often spells a 3 a.m. bed time… and can explain why a lot of the stuff on my blog is weird as all hell. 2 a.m. centaurs ftw!
I always wash my face and brush my teeth before I hit the sack. Momma taught her girl well.
Pink pajamas, Degrassi, orange cat, zzzzz….

What was your first job out of school?
Not long after graduating from Western (I finished with an MA in Journalism last May), I was hired as a staff reporter in the Toronto Star’s radio room. This involved a lot of writing about shootings, stabbings, fires, drownings, G20 riots… you know – hard news.
At the same time I was blogging about the 2010 MMVAs for MuchMusic and building up my own blog. It made for a nice serious/fun balance – like All Bran with gummy bears in it (speaking of dinner).
What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job?
1. Strong writing skills: Words are the base of everything I do, from blogging, tweeting and video scripting to emailing clients and colleagues. I’m not saying that you need to be a grammar nerd with a journalism degree to do my job, but it certainly helps. At the very least, your writing must be clean and strong. The more creative and engaging, the better.
2. Technological proficiency: Okay, so this isn’t so much of a skill as it is a skill SET, but it’s crucial to be tech savvy if you work in web media. My parents call this skill, “good at computers,” but it’s more than the ability to Tweet and use Microsoft Office (though, obviously, you’ll need those skills too). I couldn’t do my job nearly as well without a background in web development, blogging, video production or design. Start learning the Adobe Creative Suite, and maybe even HTML5 right now if you have the time… or at the very least, some basic HTML tags. It still blows my mind how often these things blow the minds of employers who didn’t grow up with the Internet like us Millennials. We’re in a very good place right now.
3. People skills: The ability to make other people like me (charm?) is one of the most useful and important skills I have at my disposal. Not only does it make on-camera interviews and public speaking a lot more natural, it helped me land the sweet jobs that pay me to do such things in the first place!
(Additional skills include multi-tasking, idea generation, self-educating, digital media production and performing. Obviously, the ability to write concisely and make decisions are not quite so crucial)

What do you love most about your career?
The incredible people I’ve been able to meet and the fact that I get to be creative every single day in a variety of ways: writing, video production, taking photos, developing social media campaigns – it’s so much fun!

Do you have any warnings?
Yes. If you want a 9-5 job with weekends off, don’t go into media – of ANY kind.
I cover a lot of events on weekends in addition to the 9-5 office work I do, and am always connected thanks to my trusty iPhone. Responding to emails between sets at the gym and Tweeting back to fans from my bed at 2:00 in the morning is just the nature of the game.
The hours can be long, the pressure can be intense (“You have exactly five minutes to interview Johnny Knoxville. Don’t fuck it up.)” and the stress of juggling a million things at once all the time can really weigh on you after a while – but I love the excitement. Nothing that a thick skin and a good yoga regime can’t fix.

If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?
Mannn, I change my mind every single day about what I want to be when I grow up. If I could try on a different career for one year, I’d want to be a documentary film maker who’s making a documentary about one girl who tries out a different career every week for a whole entire year. That way, I’d get to be a documentary film maker, industrial designer, NBA mascot, pharmaceutical chemist, dermatologist, urban planner, video game designer, voice-over actress, cheerleader, paparazzo, celebrity publicist and backup dancer!
If I had to pick just ONE job to try out, it would be “kindergarten teacher.” Most people laugh when I tell them this because I kind of suck at kids and have zero patience, but wouldn’t it be sweet to play with toys all day and get paid for it? Actually, if kindergarten student counts as a career, I’d like to do that instead. I rule at Lego.